Produce is often packaged in unit packaging such as bags and clamshells. Clamshells provide retailers a standard merchandizing unit that protects the produce, offer brand owners a labeling opportunity, and offer consumers convenience. Labels on clamshells commonly convey brand information, product graphics, or the like. Clamshells typically arrive at the harvest location pre-labeled so that the clamshells can be efficiently filled and then rapidly moved into the distribution chain.
FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a typical prior art distribution chain 100 for clamshells from their manufacture to their deployment to a harvest for produce packaging. As shown in FIG. 1, clamshells are manufactured by a manufacturer 110 using a thermal process. Following manufacture the clamshells are typically labeled and nested together in stacks, where the stacks include about 400 clamshells in some instances. Stacks of nested labeled clamshells are transported from the manufacturer 110 in bulk containers 120.
For greater harvesting efficiency, labeled clamshells are removed from the bulk containers 120 and placed in harvest crates 140 at a facility 130, generally located in the vicinity of the harvest site. A harvest crate 140 is a carrier designed to carry a number of filled clamshells through a distribution chain to a retailer. Harvest crates 140 are sometimes also referred to as cases, trays, or flats. A stocking machine is commonly used to select the correct number of nested clamshells, such as 8 or 12, from a stack and transfer these still-nested clamshells to harvest crates 140. It is common practice to put just the correct number of nested clamshells into each harvest crate 140 so that each harvest crate 140 is full when it leaves the field. For example, a harvest crate 140 may hold 8 clamshells in two rows of four. In this case, 8 nested clamshells are placed in each harvest crate 140 prior to delivery to the harvest site. Harvest crates 140, each including the proper number of nested labeled clamshells, are then banded together to form columns 150 of harvest crates 140. At the harvest site, a picker takes a harvest crate 140, de-nests the clamshells, fills each with produce, and then packs the clamshells into two rows in the harvest crate 140.